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Meeting Gorbachev

New York Premiere

UK, USA | 95 MINUTES | English, German, Polish, Russian | English subtitles

MEETING GORBACHEV

Documentary, Politics, Biography, Journalism
As the eighth and final leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev is a figure equally defined by the vision of transparency that led his efforts to expand and restructure his nation, and the lost potential left in the wake of the USSR’s disintegration. Now nearly three decades since his removal from power, the 87-year-old Gorbachev sits down with legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog for a wide-spanning conversation on his life and legacy, at a time when the former President finds himself more removed than ever from the defining ideologies of Russian leadership.

Teaming up with frequent collaborator Andre Singer and filmed over the course of six months, Herzog approaches his subject with equal parts admiration and pity. As the duo explore the conditions of Gorbachev’s unlikely rise to power through a surprisingly candid and friendly rapport, Herzog’s ever-present themes soon emerge, as the director shapes a timely portrait of the absurdly unstable and temporal nature of those in the world’s most powerful positions.

—Cameron Sinz

After the Premiere Screening: Director Werner Herzog will be in conversation with his frequent collaborator and Professor of Classical Studies at Boston University Herb Golder.

CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Werner Herzog and André Singer

Werner Herzog has written, produced, and directed more than 50 films, including Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010), Into the Abyss (2011), Into the Inferno (2016), and Salt and Fire (2016). André Singer is a British documentary filmmaker. His features include Into the Abyss (2011) and Into the Inferno (2016).
Director
Werner Herzog, André Singer
Producer
Lucki Stipetic, Svetlana Palmer
Screenwriter
Werner Herzog, André Singer
Cinematographer
Richard Blanshard, Yuri Barak
Composer
Nicholas Singer
Editor
Michael Ellis
Executive Producer
Richard Melman, Molly Thompson, Eli Lehrer
US Distributor
The Orchard
Cast
Mikhail Gorbachev, Miklós Németh, George P. Shultz, James A. Baker III, Lech Walesa, Horst Teltschik

PANELISTS

Herb Golder

Herb Golder

Herbert Golder is a Professor of Classical Studies at Boston University and the Editor-in-Chief of Arion, A Journal of Humanities and the Classics. Golder is also a filmmaker and a longtime collaborator of Werner Herzog, having worked with him on ten films, features and documentaries. Golder’s own recent documentary about Herzog, Ballad of A Righteous Merchant, is currently playing in festivals worldwide.

Werner Herzog

Werner Herzog

Werner Herzog was born in Munich. He has written, produced, and directed more than 50 films, published books of prose, staged several operas, acted in films, and founded the Rogue Film School. His most recent films are Into the Inferno (2016) and Salt and Fire (2016).


CONTACTS

Print Source
Taso Georgakis
The Orchard
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Phone: 323 540 5482
tgeorgakis@theorchard.com
Press Contact
Layla Hancock-Piper
Cinetic Marketing and PR
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 9179632448
layla@cineticmedia.com